Microsoft WordPad to shut down after 28 years: Won’t be available in Windows 12

Updated on 04-Sep-2023
HIGHLIGHTS

It’s been 28 years since Wordpad was first announced in Windows 95.

The Microsoft Wordpad might not get any further updates from now.

Microsoft has not revealed the exact time when it is going to remove the Wordpad.

The tech-giants are seemingly ending up things in the software world where it all started, just like Microsoft. The tech-giant seems to discontinue its famous Wordpad. It’s been 28 years since Wordpad was first announced in Windows 95, and now it is a sad moment for the fans. A while back, the company has made some significant announcements regarding the future of their software offerings. At first, Microsoft announced the discontinuation of Visual Studio for Mac, which was shocking for some. Shortly after, the tech-giant has rolled out a list of features that won’t work on Microsoft Edge anymore. 

A publication, Neowin, spotted this decision silently sent to Microsoft's support documents, signaling the discontinuation of Wordpad. The Microsoft Wordpad might not get any further updates from now, and it is tipped to be completely removed from the upcoming version of the operating system. 

Also read: Here’s how you can officially download Windows 7 from the official Microsoft website

Microsoft has not revealed the exact time when it is going to remove the Wordpad, but the tech-giant is pressing the Wordpad users who work on complicated files to Microsoft Word. The users who work on normal writing in .txt format have been recommended to use Notepad. 

According to Microsoft, there are going to be alternative options available for WordPad. Well, we don’t know about its impact on Windows users yet. WordPad has been in use since Windows 95 days, when the first version of Internet Explorer was launched. But that also cues to the fact that WordPad has become kind of outdated owing to lack of major updates and new players in the market. Today, users are looking for a free word processor which can handle rich text formats and also turn to freely accessible Office web apps.

Also read: Satya Nadella retweets Microsoft President's blueprint for India to govern AI

So, it seems that looking at the growth and competition, Microsoft has complied with the tech evolution and decided to finally retire the beloved WordPad.

Mustafa Khan

Mustafa is new on the block and is a tech geek who is currently working with Digit as a News Writer. He tests the new gadgets that come on board and writes for the news desk. He has found his way with words and you can count on him when in need of tech advice. No judgement. He is based out of Delhi, he’s your person for good photos, good food recommendations, and to know about anything GenZ.

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